American

Road
Courses

Road America
Watkins Glen
Meadowdale
Laguna Seca
Westwood
Riverside
Mid Ohio Every Road Course
of Past and Present
Daytona in the United States
Mosport and Canada
Sebring
Barber
Miller
Rob Semmeling
 American Road Courses Page 2

INTRODUCTION
This file lists all permanent paved road courses - i.e. non-oval racing circuits - in the United States and Canada. In most cases,
'permanent' is synonymous with 'purpose-built'. However, some circuits were not purpose-built but actually started out as tempo-
rary courses. Florida's Sebring International Raceway, for example, was originally a temporary airfield course, laid out over the
runways of Hendricks Field. Likewise, Portland International Raceway in Oregon evolved from a street course. Both circuits are
nowadays permanent facilities.

The starting point for this list was the 2003 edition of Allan Brown's book "A History of America's Speedways: Past & Present".
This is an indispensable reference work for which Allan cannot be praised enough. However, in the book the road courses are a bit
buried between the vast number of ovals. Listing them separately gives a better overview. Also, I found the information in the
book is not always accurate. It is an excellent basis for further research but the data should be treated with great care. I have done
my best to present the most correct and accurate info in this file.

In general, there are three main types of American road courses. The most interesting are the 'pure' road courses which were built
specifically for road racing. Some of the most famous examples are Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen and Road America. In recent
years, there has been a new phenomenon: private, members-only circuits. A number of such country-club style facilities aimed at
the rich and famous have already been built and many more are planned. Some of the proposed courses are rather ambitious in
terms of circuit layout and length, and it remains to be seen how many will actually become reality.

Next are road courses built on the infield of a large oval. These are generally less interesting and are often overshadowed by the
more important oval which encompasses them. At some ovals and superspeedways, such as those of Michigan and Talladega,
the infield road course is nowadays defunct when it comes to racing.

Finally, there are dragstrips with a road course. In many cases, such a road course was not purpose-built, strictly speaking, but
rather created simply by combining the dragstrip with the return road.

The circuits are listed chronologically in order of opening, which normally is the date of the first race. However, some of the newer
tracks were not built for (professional) racing, but rather as private, country-club style facilities, so in these cases the opening may
have been a track day or some other event rather than an actual race.

Please note that some tracks started out as dirt courses that were paved only much later - however, each circuit is listed under
the year and month it first operated as a paved road course.

Likewise, in some cases a track began as a dragstrip and/or oval, with a road course being added at a later stage. In these cases
the circuit is again listed under the first year and month the road course was operational, rather than when the dragstrip or oval
originally opened. However, while I did my best to list the tracks in strict chronological order, for some circuits the information
is sketchy and so the order may not be completely correct.

If you see the letters YT next to the circuit's location, this is a link to a video on YouTube of a good quality or otherwise interesting
on-board lap, but this feature is not available for all circuits.

United States

This file lists a total of 135 American road courses. The first opened in 1936, and new facilities are still being planned and build.
The following states, however, have never had a permanent paved road course, namely Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Maine,
Massachusetts, Montana, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming, meaning the north-west
region of the United States in particular has seen relatively little road racing. The states best represented in the list are California
(15 tracks, not including the to-be-build Thermal Club), Texas (14, not including the Circuit of the Americas near Austin which is
currently under construction), Florida (10) and Colorado (8).

While the list should be close to complete, there are a number of facilities of which very little is known. These circuits, which should
possibly be included and of which I would like to know more, include: Alamo Speedway (TX), Century 21 Speedway (CO), Dorr
Raceway (MI), Hope Raceway (AR), Houston International Dragway (TX), Kansas City International Raceway (MO), Lions Dragstrip
(CA), Sportsland Raceway (AZ), Woodbine Motorsports Park (NJ) and Grand Strand Motorsports Park (SC). If anyone has further
details about these tracks, specifically about road racing there, please get in touch.

Canada

The file also lists 21 Canadian road courses, of which the first opened in 1959 and the as-yet most recent in 2008. The circuits are
distributed among the provinces as follows: Quebec (7), Ontario (5), British Columbia (4), Alberta (3), Manitoba (1) and Nova
Scotia (1). The other provinces of Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan,
as well as the three territories, have never had a permanent road course.

If anyone has details about the little-known road course that once operated at Western Speedway near Victoria, BC I'd really like
to hear from you. Further details about the very interesting original road course at Circuit Ste-Croix are also appreciated.
 American Road Courses Page 3

Website

In addition to the American Road Courses file you are viewing, my website www.wegcircuits.nl offers several further downloadable
pdf-files: Rennen! Races! Vitesse! details over 700 racing circuits in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria, and also has
notes on Luxembourg and Switzerland. The Racing Circuits Factbook is a collection of various facts and figures about circuits world-
wide. These files are the most comprehensive and accurate sources for racing circuits in said countries.

My website also lists over 4500 dates of motorcycle road races in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria, allowing you to
see exactly when many of the motorcycle circuits listed in the Rennen! Races! Vitesse! document were used. Modern-day photo
laps of numerous Dutch and Belgian circuits are also available, and my website furthermore includes race logs for the Porsche
907 and March 707 racing cars, and more.

Pdf-files are best viewed with the latest version of Adobe Reader, which is freely available for download from Adobe's website.
Comments, corrections, additions and questions are of course welcome via e-mail.

Copyright © Rob Semmeling

Contact: robsemmeling (at) email (dot) com
Website: www.wegcircuits.nl

Note

For anyone with a website about racing circuits of their own: please do not copy information from this file. Instead, link to my web-
site where people will be able to download the original file and read about the circuits themselves from the original source. Please
also do not link to this pdf-file directly, but rather please link simply to www.wegcircuits.nl - thanks.

Updates

Original file uploaded on 19 June 2010

New and improved version uploaded on 1 November 2010
New and improved version uploaded on 5 September 2011

Latest update of this file: 18 November 2012

18/11/2012: updated the entry for Circuit of the Americas, which hosted its first
race yesterday, a support event of today's Formula 1 Grand Prix (page 27).

20/10/2012: minor updates on page 27 to keep the file up-to-date.

16/09/2012: updated the entry for Kansas Speedway (page 27).

25/07/2012: some updates on page 27 to keep the file up-to-date.

23/04/2012: added Kansas Speedway to the list (page 28). A new road
course is currently being built on the infield of the 1.5-mile tri-oval.

07/04/2012: added the URLs of the (official) websites of the circuits

listed where possible. Also several small updates throughout.

01/04/2012: added The Thermal Club to the list (page 27). Construction of this circuit
is scheduled to begin in a few days. Also, Gateway International Raceway has reopened
under a new name (page 18). Furthermore a few minor updates here and there.

11/03/2012: some updates in the Canadian section

(pages 28-30). With thanks to Tom Johnston.
 American Road Courses Page 4

CIRCUITS OF THE 1930s

1936

Roosevelt Raceway – between Westbury and East Garden City on Long Island, New York
Location: 40°44'37.68"N / 73°35'51.66"W

Opened October 1936 / the track was inaugurated with two 40-mile motorcycle races on 3 and 4 October, respectively / the
circuit then hosted the famous Vanderbilt Cup races on 12 October 1936 and 5 July 1937 as well as a one-off ARCA race on
25 September 1937

This was the only European-style road course built in the United States before World War Two / the course was designed
by Mark Linnenthal / construction began in June 1936 and was completed by late September / the original 4.0 mi layout
was later described as "nightmarishly serpentine" by author Brock Yates / judging from a track map, British magazine
Motorsport wrote that "it looks as if the drivers, if not the spectators, will be dizzy before the race ends" / it should
be noted there is some confusion over the original track surface / Yates describes it as a hard-packed mix of sand
and gravel, but a contemporary source states it was composed of sand, clay, asphalt and tar

The anti-clockwise course turned out disappointingly slow, with a fastest lap of 70.1 mph at the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup / the
circuit was therefore revised for the 1937 race to make it faster and improve the spectacle / the new 3.33 mi layout had
just seven turns instead of sixteen, while the final corner was banked considerably / the surface was also renewed and
now consisted of a stone road with an asphaltic binder / the changes raised average speeds to about 85 mph / still
not that impressive given that even the sinuous Nürburgring in Germany was quicker / obviously such speeds also
paled in comparison with those achieved at the earlier board tracks

A further race planned for Labor Day in September 1937 was cancelled, as was the Vanderbilt Cup announced for 4 July
1938 / instead a dirt oval for midget racing opened at the site that year / this was turned into a horse racing oval in 1940
which was also named Roosevelt Raceway / when a new trotting oval was built just below the old in 1957 it became a large
parking lot / a 1.5 mi temporary road course was laid out there for a Formula Junior race in June 1960 / this was billed as
the Vanderbilt Cup / a non-championship Formula 1 race titled United Nations Grand Prix was to be held at Roosevelt
Raceway in April 1963 but cancelled / part of the site is now the Source Shopping Mall and Westbury Plaza
 American Road Courses Page 5

CIRCUITS OF THE 1950s

1950

Sebring International Raceway – south-east of Sebring, Florida

Location: 27°27'7.60"N / 81°21'6.38"W / www.sebringraceway.com

Opened December 1950 / originally a 3.2 mi temporary airfield circuit located on runways of Hendricks Field, a military facility
built in 1941 / there was no racing in 1951 but the course was lengthened to 5.2 mi as of 1952 / as such it ranked among
the world's longest-ever airfield courses / over the years the circuit was progressively shortened so as not to interfere with
aviation / the circuit also evolved from a temporary airfield course to a fully permanent facility / it is now the oldest
American road course still in use / its main meeting is the annual 12-hour race held since 1952 / also hosted the
1959 Formula One United States Grand Prix / Hendricks Field is now Sebring Regional Airport / still active

1952

Thompson International Speedway – east of North Grosvenor Dale, Connecticut

Location: 41°58'53.69"N / 71°49'29.04"W / www.thompsonspeedway.com

Opened as a ⅝-mile paved oval in May 1940 / a smaller oval was later added inside the bigger one / the two ovals shared the
front straight / from 1950-1952 SCCA races combined both ovals to form a makeshift road course / cars ran the outer oval
anti-clockwise, then turned sharply left onto the smaller inner oval / they then continued clockwise until another acute left
brought the cars back onto the outer oval / incidentally, a make-shift road course just like this at Heidelberg Raceway in
Pennsylvania was used for AMA Grand National motorcycle races from 1968-1969 (the 1970 race there was cancelled)

A proper 1.5 mi purpose-built road course opened in August 1952 / this included turn one of the bigger oval / aka Old
Thompson Raceway / a second road course of 2.0 mi opened in May 1957 / this used a section of the older circuit but
was completely separate from the ovals / aka New Thompson Raceway / this was last used in 1967 / after that racing
continued on a slightly lengthened version of Old Thompson Raceway until circa 1978 / this is now part of the access
roads to the still-active ovals / the facility is located a stone's throw from the state border with Rhode Island

1953

Wilmot Hills – directly south of Wilmot, Wisconsin

Location: 42°30'3.89"N / 88°11'16.85"W / wilmothills.homestead.com

Opened July 1953 / the track reportedly cost $75,000 to built / located a stone's throw from the state border with Illinois /
aka Wilmot Hills Road Race Course / it measured about 0.85 mi although an undeveloped design called for a much longer
figure-of-eight layout / in the mid-1960s a fast lap took around 44 seconds / the track was last used in August 1967 / it
is now part of the access roads to a ski resort called Wilmot Mountain Ski Area

1954

Milwaukee Mile – at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds in West Allis near Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Location: 43°1'14.01"N / 88°0'41.07"W / www.milwaukeeindyfest.com

Opened as a dirt track for horse racing circa 1876 / the oval held its first auto race in September 1903 and was paved in April
1954 / construction of an infield road course began in June / it opened with sports car races in August / the last auto race on
the road course was reportedly held in June 1984 but there were still motorcycle races after that / one source suggests the
last was held in 1987 / however I also found a WERA sprint meeting held in July 1988 / the road course was subsequently
abandoned for years / a $110,000 renovation plan was proposed in 1990 but fell through / incidentally, a one-off AMA
Twin Sport motorcycle race for Harley-Davidson 883 sportster machines was held on the oval rather than the road
course (!) in June 1993

The road course was finally restored in July 2004 when it was widened and paved with a base coat of asphalt / it reopened
the following year / further repaving took place in October 2006 / originally known as Wisconsin State Fair Park / aka
Milwaukee Fairgrounds / still active
 American Road Courses Page 6

1955

Marlboro Motor Raceway – just south of Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Location: 38°48'24.04"N / 76°44'18.85"W

Began as a dirt oval in 1952 / the oval was later paved and a road course approximately 0.7 mi in length was added / this
opened in May 1955 / the circuit was extended by a mile in 1957 but remained very tight and sinuous / the first SCCA
National was held in July of that year / aka Upper Marlboro Speedway / aka Marlboro Park / aka Marlboro Park Speedway /
also hosted a number of 12-hour endurance races / the circuit was last used in late 1969 but then abandoned, perhaps
as a result of the opening of Summit Point Speedway in West Virginia, see below / the entire facility still remains / it is
situated about seventeen miles from the White House in nearby Washington DC

Incidentally, Marlboro was the only permanent road course Maryland ever had / in the early 1970s a new circuit designed
by Mark Donohue called Chesapeake International Raceway was to be build near Elkton / this fell through due to financial
problems / in early 1985 the owners of the dragstrip at Maryland International Raceway in Budds Creek were considering
adding a road course to their facility / however this never happened either

Road America – south of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin / YT / YT

Location: 43°47'44.94"N / 87°59'31.31"W / www.roadamerica.com

Opened September 1955 / Road America was the successor of two nearby street circuits / these were used in 1950 and from
1951-1952 respectively / the main initiator of the purpose-built circuit was Clif Tufte / at 4.048 mi it ranks among the longest
purpose-built circuits in the world / the main layout has not changed since the circuit opened over fifty years ago / aka
Elkhart Lake / still active

1956

Willow Springs International Raceway – west of Rosamond, California / YT

Location: 34°52'22.94"N / 118°15'45.51"W / www.willowspringsraceway.com

Opened as an oiled dirt course in November 1953 / the circuit was definitely paved by April 1956 but it may have been paved
as early as 1954 / unfortunately further info is missing / hosted the first FIM-recognized United States motorcycle Grand Prix
in March 1960 / the layout has always remained the same / a separate second circuit named The Streets of Willow Springs
was added in 1987 / this was later lengthened / a third road course named The Horse Thief Mile followed in 2003 / the
facility is now named Willow Springs International Motorsports Park / still active

Paramount Ranch – south of Agoura Hills near Saratoga Hills, California

Location: 34°7'6.83"N / 118°45'10.33"W

Opened August 1956 / built on the former Paramount movie studio ranch / one of only a few purpose-built figure-8 circuits in
the world / the course was very short lived as the last race was in December 1957 / this was marred by two fatalities / Phil
Hill apparently did conduct a test session at Paramount Ranch in August 1958 / almost nothing remains of the circuit today

Watkins Glen – south-west of Watkins Glen, New York / YT

Location: 42°20'11.03"N / 76°55'21.42"W / www.theglen.com

Opened September 1956 / aka Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course / nicknamed The Glen / the successor of two nearby street
circuits / these were used from 1948-1952 and 1953-1955 respectively / while the circuit is normally used clockwise, it ran
anti-clockwise for a 1957 NASCAR race and AMA motorcycle races in 1959 and 1960 / the track closed in 1981 after going
bankrupt / over the next two years only a few non-spectator SCCA events were held / it reopened July 1984 / now named
Watkins Glen International / still active
 American Road Courses Page 7

1957

Lime Rock Park – south of Falls Village, Connecticut

Location: 41°55'39.24"N / 73°23'1.72"W / www.limerock.com

Opened April 1957 / the first event was a drivers' school, following eight days later by the first races / initiated and built by
Jim Vaill / this was the second purpose-built road course in Connecticut after Thompson Raceway / the circuit was thoroughly
modernized in 2008 / despite this the basic layout has never changed / there is no racing on Sundays due to local blue laws /
still active

Virginia International Raceway – east of Danville, Virginia / YT / YT

Location: 36°33'44.98"N / 79°12'25.63"W / virnow.com / www.virhistory.com

Opened August 1957 / the first actual event was a preliminary time-trial meet in late July but the inaugural races took place
early the following month / the last race was a SCCA regional and enduro in October 1974 / the circuit was then abandoned /
developer and vintage racer Harvey Siegel completely restored the track from 1998-1999 / it reopened March 2000 / the
original layout was preserved but several optional layouts were added / the track was also widened / one of the longest
purpose-built circuits in the world in the so-called Grand Course layout / located a stone's throw from the border with
North Carolina / still active

Riverside International Raceway – between Riverside and Moreno Valley, California

Location: 33°56'13.77"N / 117°16'25.51"W

Opened September 1957 / held its last major race in June 1988 / there may have been further small events on a shorter
layout until July 1989 / the circuit closed due to escalating property value and pressure from development / the site is
now largely occupied by a residential area and the Moreno Valley Mall shopping center

Bridgehampton Race Circuit – north of Bridgehampton near Noyack on Long Island, New York / YT
Location: 40°58'47.73"N / 72°20'26.44"W

Opened September 1957 / one week after Riverside / nicknamed The Bridge / had 133 feet of elevation change / replaced a
street circuit used from 1949-1953 / the last race took place in 1997 / a race school operated until about a year after that /
the site is now a golf course

Laguna Seca Raceway – near Monterey, California / YT

Location: 36°35'3.32"N / 121°45'7.84"W / www.mazdaraceway.com

Opened November 1957 / the circuit was extended and modified in 1988 / its signature turn is a steeply downhill sweeper
named The Corkscrew / now known as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca / still active

1958

Vaca Valley Raceway – between Vacaville and Dixon, California

Location: 38°24'26.89"N / 121°53'58.73"W

Opened July 1958 / the multi-purpose facility included a 1.25 mi oval, a dragstrip and a 2.1 mi road course / aka Vaca Valley
Speedway / hosted a 24-hour motorcycle race in July 1965 / the circuit had a poor surface and was last used in 1972 / as of
late 2009 the site had not been built on and the entire circuit remained albeit overgrown and crumbled

Meadowdale International Raceways – directly west of Carpentersville, Illinois / YT

Location: 42°6'49.62"N / 88°18'20.80"W

Opened September 1958 / built by Leonard Besinger / Meadowdale's signature turn was the Monza Wall which was banked 45
degrees at the top / however this was torn down and replaced by a flat curve before a Trans-Am race in 1968 / the last race
took place in May 1969 / by then the facility had been renamed Illinois International Speedway / a USAC championship race
was to be held on a new tri-oval in September 1970 but this did not materialize and the track never opened that year / it
was instead completely abandoned / the site is now a park called Raceway Woods / a paved bicycle path was laid over
the remains of the old circuit in 2009

Vineland Speedway – between Vineland and Millville, New Jersey

Location: 39°26'14.45"N / 75°2'51.27"W

Started as an oval in 1955 / a dragstrip and road course were added within one month in 1958 / the latter opened in October,
two weeks after Waterford Hills / hosted a four-hour motorcycle race in October 1963 / a quick lap around the 1.3 mile circuit
took about 58 seconds in the mid-1960s / the road course closed in 1966 / the last known meetings were SCCA events in
April and June of that year / the dragstrip apparently operated for another year / the property was sold to Cumberland
County College / part of the site is now a baseball diamond / other sections and the oval remain
 American Road Courses Page 8

1959

Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida / YT

Location: 29°11'8.52"N / 81°4'12.44"W / www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com

The 2.5 mi superspeedway opened February 1959 / the first event on the road course was a USAC 1000 km sports car race in
early April, although the event was shortened to 6 hours due to fading light / the facility was built by Bill France to replace the
unique but obsolete course over the beach and adjacent highway at Ponce Inlet / motorcycles continued racing on the beach
for two more years and did not switch to the speedway until 1961 / the speedway's three main races are NASCAR's Daytona
500, the 24 Hours of Daytona for prototypes and sports cars, and the 200-mile race for motorcycles / also hosted the
United States motorcycle Grand Prix from 1961-1965 / still active

Continental Divide Raceways – south of Castle Rock, Colorado / YT

Location: 39°19'57.73"N / 104°53'3.51"W

Opened August 1959 / some sources suggest the circuit opened in 1958 but that is incorrect / closed in 1979 but briefly
reopened circa 1981-1984 / torn down in 1985 / the site is now a housing estate / not to be confused with Continental
Divide Race Park, which was built near Mead, Colorado in the mid-1980s, see further below

Waterford Hills – north of Waterford, Michigan / YT

Location: 42°42'32.37"N / 83°23'25.66"W / www.waterfordhills.com

Began in May 1958 as a small one-lane dirt course used for gymkhanas and time trials / it was paved by October and formally
named the following January / aka Waterford Hills Road Course / the track was subsequently widened to allow actual racing /
the inaugural meeting was titled Ed Lawrence Memorial Races and took place in October 1959 / the circuit's layout has
never changed since then / aka Waterford Hills Road Racing / still active

Roebling Road Raceway – north-east of Bloomingdale near Savannah, Georgia / YT

Location: 32°10'5.15"N / 81°19'20.20"W / www.roeblingroad.com

Opened in 1959 as per the official website / the exact date or month is missing / Allan Brown has 1960 / initially known as
Savannah-Effingham Motorway or Savannah-Effingham Raceway / then as Savannah International Raceway / later renamed
Roebling Road Raceway after track founder Robert Roebling / reportedly designed by John Rueter / the circuit's layout has
never been modified / nowadays a non-spectator facility / still active

Westwood Racing Circuit, Canada's first purpose-built road course, opened near Vancouver, British Columbia, in July 1959 /
Mexico's first circuit, later named Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, opened in Mexico City in December that same year
 American Road Courses Page 9

CIRCUITS OF THE 1960s

1960

Louisiana Hilltop Raceway – east of Shreveport between Eastwood and Haughton, Louisiana
Location: 32°33'6.73"N / 93°31'50.10"W

Opened June 1960 / the first meeting was a SCCA regional in June, followed by an AMA motorcycle race on Independance
Day / the official inauguration was apparently held over the Labor Day weekend later that year / aka Hilltop Raceway / aka
Top O' the Hill / ran into financial troubles very early on / the track was up for sale by early 1963 / it reopened under new
ownership in mid-1964 for motorcycles and karts / the direction of travel was subsequently reversed for a sports car meeting
in September to increase safety, but the event was marred by a fatal crash / this is the last documented race at the circuit /
a further event was announced for September 1965 but this may well have been cancelled / the circuit closed definitively
that year / the site is now a Baptist Summer Camp / most of the circuit remains

Pacific Raceways – south-east of Kent near Lea Hill, Washington / YT

Location: 47°19'12.44"N / 122°8'42.43"W / www.pacificraceways.com

Opened circa August 1960 / the dragstrip opened on Independance day in July / the first event on the road course reportedly
was a sprint car race at an unknown date after that / the first documented race was a sports car event in mid-August / while
the track normally ran anti-clockwise, a SCCA four-hour enduro in September 1960 and a June 1962 SCCA race used the
other direction / the facility was renamed Seattle International Raceway in 1969 but returned to the original name in
2002 / the layout has changed only slightly over the years / still active

Green Valley Raceway – between Keller, Watauga and Colleyville, Texas

Location: 32°53'49.60"N / 97°12'37.37"W

Opened August 1960 / built by Bill McClure / the facility included a dragstrip and a road course / the circuit was slightly
extended in summer 1964 / a further extention was planned by late 1968 but never materialized / the road course operated
until circa 1977 as per Allan Brown / while the dragstrip continued to be used the road course was abandoned / it reopened in
October 1984 for a combined Trans-Am and Can-Am meeting titled Texas Challenge / motorcycle endurance races were held
in 1985 and 1986 / the facility closed definitively the latter year / aka Green Valley Race City / the site is now a housing
estate / the circuit is completely gone

Marchbanks Speedway – south-east of Hanford, California

Location: 36°16'23.87"N / 119°35'47.16"W

Opened September 1960 / the facility began as a ½-mile dirt oval called Marchbanks Speedway circa 1951 / aka Marchbanks
Stadium / this was built by B.L. Marchbanks / the oval was paved in 1953 / by then it also had a ⅓-mile oval inside the
½-mile as well as a tiny infield road course of sorts / a 1.3 mi high-banked triangular oval then opened circa June 1960 /
this had a much larger proper road course which opened with sports car and motorcycle races in September / two AMA
meetings took place in 1961 but an AMA Grand National race planned for April or May 1965 was cancelled / the circuit did
stage a different motorcycle meeting in May of that year, as well as a meeting for formula cars and sedans in September /
these are the last documented races on the road course / the triangular oval was refurbished and lengthened slightly in
1967 / by then the facility was known as Hanford Motor Speedway / aka Hanford Speedway / aka Hanford Raceway / the
last race on the oval took place in April 1969 / a 250-mile USAC race scheduled for October was cancelled, as were two
further USAC championship races, planned for March and October 1971 / the track was abandoned and finally torn
down in April 1984 / no trace of it remains
 American Road Courses Page 10

1961

Indianapolis Raceway Park – north-east of Indianapolis near Clermont, Indiana

Location: 39°48'44.90"N / 86°20'25.46"W / www.lucasoilraceway.com

Started as a dragstrip in 1960 / the first race on the road course was held in April 1961 / located less than six miles from
Indianapolis Motor Speedway / known as O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis from 2006-2010 / renamed Lucas Oil
Raceway at Indianapolis in 2011 / still active

Portland International Raceway – directly north of downtown Portland, Oregon

Location: 45°35'50.46"N / 122°41'44.63"W / www.portlandraceway.com

Vanport City was built during World War Two but destroyed by a flood in May 1948 / Portland purchased the site in 1960 /
in June 1961 the first Rose Cup sports car races were held on abandoned roads in former Vanport / the site was now most
commonly called West Delta Park / aka Delta Park / aka Auto Sports Park

The original course operated from 1961-1968 / it was known as West Delta Park Road Race Circuit / a shortened and slightly
modified layout was used from 1969-1970 / the name Portland International Raceway has its origins around this time / parts
of the course were then redrawn and most of it was also repaved / this resulted in the familiar layout known today as of
June 1971 / it seems the circuit now also became fully permanent / the current start-finish straightaway is what used to
be Cottonwood Street in Vanport / still active

1962

Henderson International Raceway – Henderson, Nevada

Location: 36°3'1.23"N / 114°58'51.98"W

Began as a dragstrip called Thunderbird Raceway in 1958 / aka Henderson Drag Strip / in April 1962 the United States
Sports Car Club organised a meeting on what was described as a new 2.5 mile road course that went down the dragstrip,
then wandered around through the desert before looping back via a 20-degree banked turn / this is the only documented
race on this circuit, but there may have been an SCCA regional and drivers' school in November 1963 / the banking,
incidentally, was not used as the necessary guard rail had not been installed yet / the dragstrip reportedly closed in
1964 / no further details are known

Mid Ohio Sports Car Course – west of Lexington, Ohio / YT

Location: 40°41'26.31"N / 82°38'8.67"W / www.midohio.com

Opened August 1962 / the first event was a drivers' school in early July but the inaugural race meeting took place in August /
founded and designed by Les Griebling / the original course was even more sinuous than today's / it included the now
optional Keyhole chicane and a section called Oak Tree Bend / this was removed by early 1963 due to complaints
from the drivers, who considered the course too slow and winding / still active

Rattlesnake Raceway – south of Midland, Texas

Location: 31°54'43.71"N / 102°2'47.14"W

Construction of this track was announced in December 1961 / the first known race took place in November 1962 / the last
race was a SCCA meeting in May 1963 / this was sadly marred by a fatal accident / the circuit was then bought by Jim Hall
and Hap Sharp who subsequently used it as a private test course for their Chaparral racing cars / it was active at least
until the mid-1970s but abandoned at some point / the entire course remains to this day / it is private property

The seemingly new, purpose-built 1.7 mile Antilles Auto Racing Circuit near Caquas, Puerto Rico hosted the well-attended
but one-off Puerto Rico Grand Prix from 3-11 November 1962
 American Road Courses Page 11

1963

Greenwood Roadway – south-east of Indianola and south-west of Milo, Iowa

Location: 41°15'14.48"N / 93°29'41.93"W / www.greenwoodroadway.com

Opened June 1963 / had an unusual U-shaped layout / also noteworthy for having seven or eight consecutive righthanders /
the circuit was not spectator-friendly and was a financial fiasco / a total of sixteen meetings are known to have been staged
at Greenwood Roadway / the last two were an AMA Grand National race for motorcycles in August 1966 and an IKF karting
enduro in September / the site is now a training and storage site for earth moving equipment / the entire circuit still exists

Woody Creek Raceway – directly south-east of Woody Creek, Colorado

Location: 39°15'54.13"N / 106°52'48.74"W / www.aspenmotorsportspark.com

Opened July 1963 / aka Aspen Raceway and Aspen International Raceway / now a private facility known as Aspen Motorsports
Park / this is the highest road course in the United States / start-finish is located at approximately 7470 feet or 2277 metres /
still active

Lynndale Farms – in between Hartland and Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Location: 43°6'34.25"N / 88°17'57.87"W

Opened August 1963 / designed in the summer of that year / construction was completed in time for two meetings to be held
in 1963 / in August and September / the latter meeting was confusingly called Oktober-Rennen / aka Lynndale Farms Road
Racing Course / the track was in serious financial difficulties by late 1965 / owner Jerry Hirsch was granted a one-year license
to operate the track in July 1966 but despite this the last race was held in late October that year / the circuit closed due to
financial difficulties and because residents of the area objected to the noise / it was described as defunct by April 1967 /
the site is now a housing subdivision named Lynndale Farms / parts of the track were reused as normal streets / some
original tarmac also remains

Nelson Ledges Road Course – north-east of Garettsville, Ohio

Location: 41°18'22.72"N / 81°0'59.53"W / www.nelsonledges.com

Opened late September 1963 / note that it is possible Nelson Ledges originally began as an oiled dirt track in 1962 / in the
early years the circuit was also known as Steel Cities International Raceway but this name was later dropped definitively as it
was too confusing / the circuit initially measured just over a mile / it was lengthened circa June-July 1966 / the original short
course continued to be used for club events at least until 1981 but is now defunct / Lloyds Insurance gave Nelson Ledges an
award for its outstanding contribution to auto safety in 1974 for the then-innovative use of tyre walls / held 24-hour races
for motorcycles from 1969-1993 and for cars beginning in 1980 / the latter are known as The Longest Day / in the 1980s
and 1990s the course was notorious for its bumpy surface / still active

Augusta International Speedway – between Augusta-Richmond County and Hephzibah, Georgia

Location: 33°21'6.69"N / 82°5'19.61"W / www.augustainternationalraceway.org

The dragstrip and small tracks for midgets and go-karts opened in May 1960 / aka Augusta International Speedway and
Sports Center / a ½-mile oval seemingly followed in 1961 / the road course opened with a NASCAR Grand National race in
November 1963 / this was scheduled as a 510-mile race but ultimately ran for 417 miles as lap speeds were slower than
expected and there was a 5 pm curfew / the only other road race was a USRRC event in March 1964 / a further USRRC
meeting planned for April 1965 was cancelled in December 1964 due to the poor condition of the circuit and the lack of
financial means to make improvements / the road course was subsequently abandoned / the more successful ½-mile
oval operated through October 1969 / a 2-mile superspeedway was also planned but never built / much of the road
course remains as part of Diamond Lakes Regional Park
 American Road Courses Page 12

1964

Phoenix International Raceway – south-west of Phoenix near Avondale, Arizona

Location: 33°22'29.06"N / 112°18'37.97"W / www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com

Opened January 1964 / the first event on the road course was a SCCA regional in early January / this was followed by a
divisional event the following month / note the circuit's official website erroneously states the circuit opened with an open
sports car race in mid-February, but actually that meeting took place in April / the first event on the oval was a USAC race
in March, although there had already been a record run in January / the road course was located both inside- and outside
of the oval / the external section was abandoned as of 1991 / it is now part of the parking lot / the internal portion was
reconfigured to form a new 1.5 mi infield course / still active

Oregon International Raceway – between Goshen and Creswell near Eugene, Oregon
Location: 43°57'36.63"N / 122°59'54.17"W

Opened June 1964 / designed by John Hugenholtz / the circuit opened on 7 June, yet a later meeting on Independance Day
weekend was confusingly billed as the Grand Opening / the last documented auto race took place in late May 1966 / an
endurance race was scheduled for July but was likely cancelled / the track did host go-kart races in August / at some point
after that the track surface was damaged, allegedly by flooding, and no races were scheduled for 1967 / about 25% of
the course needed to be resurfaced for racing to continue / however circuit owner Leonard Wildish was not interested
in spending money on repairs / a ten-year plan to revamp the facility was announced in September 1967 but nothing
became of this / the site is now Short Mountain Landfill

Incidentally, around this time John Hugenholtz also designed, in association with his American partner Michael Parker, a road
course called Lakeside Raceway, that was to open near San Diego, California in spring 1964 / it was never built, however,
reportedly because local authorities would not re-zone the area to permit construction of a race track

Mid America Raceways – north-west of Wentzville, Missouri

Location: 38°50'49.79"N / 90°54'48.06"W

The dragstrip opened in 1963 / the road course opened in June 1964 on the same weekend as the above Oregon International
Raceway / initiated and built by Ben Lindenbusch and Wayne Koche / the circuit was last used circa 1984-1985 / it is likely
racing ceased when the road course at St. Louis International Raceway opened, which was in June 1985, see below / the
dragstrip ran its last event in late 2004 / the site is now a housing estate

Hawaii Raceway Park – next to the airport west of Ewa Beach on Honolulu island, Hawaii
Location: 21°18'56.26"N / 158°5'49.51"W

Opened as a dragstrip in July 1964 / the main initiator was Jimmy Pflueger / located at Campbell Industrial Park / Allan Brown
writes the facility began with a ¼-mile oval in 1962 and a dragstrip the following year / this seems to be incorrect / a 2.0 mi
road course operated from 1973-1975 as per Brown / this used the dragstrip and two purpose-built sections, one of which
also serving as the return road / however this is incorrect as the first documented race took place in early December 1964

The facility reportedly closed in 1973 but reopened at some point / a shortened 1.32 mi version of the original road course
was then used from 1992 onwards as per Brown / it omited the southern loop / aka Hawaii Motorsports Center / the facility
closed in April 2006 / it was still there as of July 2008

1965

Palm Beach International Raceway – north-west of Palm Beach Gardens and west of Jupiter, Florida
Location: 26°55'24.15"N / 80°18'20.59"W / racepbir.com

Opened March 1965 / the facility also included a dragstrip / construction began June 1964 / renamed Moroso Motorsports
Park in 1981 after the Moroso family took over the facility / the circuit was sold and completely renovated in 2008 / it also
returned to its original name / still active

Grattan Raceway – west of Belding, Michigan

Location: 43°5'42.10"N / 85°23'4.62"W / www.grattanraceway.com

Opened June 1965 as per Allan Brown / this is unconfirmed / the earliest reference is a SCCA national meeting scheduled
for May 1966 / aka Grattan Raceway Park / still active
 American Road Courses Page 13

Bryar Motorsports Park – north of Loudon, New Hampshire

Location: 43°21'45.76"N / 71°27'37.23"W / www.nhms.com

Started as a dirt oval for kart racing in 1960 / aka Road 106 Midway Raceway / the road course opened June 1965 with an
AMA Grand National race / it was built by Keith Bryar and replaced an earlier one mile circuit over public roads at Belknap
Recreation Area in Gilford near Laconia / this had hosted motorbike races from 1938-1941 and 1946-1963 / Keith Bryar
sold the track to Bob Bahre in December 1988 due to being ill / racing continued until circa June 1989 before Bahre
demolished the old facility to built New Hampshire International Speedway at the site, see further below

Stardust International Raceway – west of Las Vegas in Spring Valley, Nevada

Location: 36°6'24.73"N / 115°15'12.91"W

Opened October 1965 / construction began in late July / the inaugural meeting was a non-spectator SCCA regional in
October / this was followed by the Stardust Grand Prix in November / the last documented race was held in February
1969 / one source suggests the track was somehow damaged that month / the dragstrip closed in 1970 or 1971 and
the facility was dismantled by early 1972 / the site is now a housing estate

Carlsbad Raceway – between Palomar Airport and Lake San Marcos, California / YT
Location: 33°7'59.77"N / 117°14'16.72"W

Opened as a dragstrip in November 1964 / a small road course approximately 1.2 miles in length was later added / the
inaugural event was to be a SCCA regional in mid-May 1965 but this was cancelled due to delays in completion of the new
course / it eventually opened with motorcycle races in October 1965, one week after Stardust International Raceway / the
track later hosted AMA Grand National events in September 1966 (course run clockwise) and September 1967 / the SCCA
ran solo events here from the 1960s to 1980s (course run anti-clockwise) and perhaps as late as the mid-1990s / the road
course was challenging but dusty and primitive / Carlsbad Raceway is perhaps best known for hosting the US motocross
Grand Prix in the 1970s and 1980s / the dragstrip closed in 2004 / the site is now a business park

Holtville Aerodrome International Raceway – north-east of Holtville, California / YT

Location: 32°50'31.28"N / 115°16'8.98"W

Opened circa 1965 / exact info is missing / the earliest reference to racing here is a SCCA regional and drivers' school
scheduled for February 1966 but it is not known if this meeting took place / located at an abandoned airfield about ten
miles north of the Mexican border / the San Diego Region of the SCCA raced here until circa 2000 / the races were held
in the winter to avoid the summer heat and were known as The Winter Series / track days were organised as late as
2003 / Steve McQueen practiced here in preparation for his Le Mans movie / arguably a permanent circuit although
it lacked any facilities / now abandoned

1966

War Bonnet Raceway – directly north of Mannford, Oklahoma

Location: 36°8'54.69"N / 96°21'42.84"W

Opened circa July 1966 / Allan Brown has October but another source says the circuit was completed by July 1966 / a SCCA
regional was also scheduled for that month / aka War Bonnet Park / the track was originally planned to be 5.7 mi (!) long
but what was initially built measured only about 0.86 mi / it was lengthened to 2.3 mi sometime before May 1968 / last
used circa 1969-1970 / reportedly sold in July 1970 to Creek County Land Development Company / the circuit is now a
part of the roads of a housing subdivision or trailer park

Austin Raceway Park – between Round Rock and Wells Branch, Texas
Location: 30°28'11.31"N / 97°40'56.20"W

The dragstrip opened summer 1966 / the first known event on the road course was a SCCA drivers' school in October of that
year / however it is not known when the first actual race was held / the facility shut down circa late 1969 / the bleachers and
lighting system were sold by February 1970 / the facility was then abandoned / most of the circuit has been built over
 American Road Courses Page 14

1967

Odessa Raceway Park – south-west of Odessa in Penwell, Texas

Location: 31°43'57.34"N / 102°34'46.06"W / penwellknights.com

Opened as a dragstrip in September 1966 / aka Penwell Raceway, Penwell Dragway and later West Texas Raceway Park / a
road course was added in 1967 / final paving was done in March / the inaugural meeting was to be a SCCA regional in late
June but this was cancelled / it is not known when the first race did take place but there were certainly meetings in 1968
and 1969 / the facility was renamed Penwell Knights Raceway in 2008 / the dragstrip is still active

Blackhawk Farms Raceway – north-west of Rockton and west of South Beloit, Illinois / YT
Location: 42°29'16.67"N / 89°6'58.80"W / www.blackhawkfarms.com

Opened in 1967 / the exact date or month is missing / designed by Jerry Dunbar / was a non-spectator track until 1989 /
located a stone's throw from the state border with Wisconsin / aka Blackhawk Raceway / still active

Miami-Hollywood Speedway – west of Pembroke Pines, Florida

Location: 26°0'50.40"N / 80°22'13.45"W

Opened as a dragstrip in November 1966 / a tight road course opened in 1967 and was active until circa 1979 as per Allan
Brown / the first SCCA national meeting here was held in mid-September 1969 / also known under various other names,
including Broward Motor Speedway, Miami Dragway, Miami Speedway Park, Miami-Hollywood Speedway Park, Miami
International Speedway and Miami-Hollywood Motorsports Park / the dragstrip was active until 1992 / the site is
now a residential area

1968

Orange County International Raceway – between the highway and airport in East Irvine, California
Location: 33°39'51.96"N / 117°44'53.29"W

Broke ground in February 1967 / the dragstrip opened August 1967 / the road course operated roughly from February 1968
until 1972 / Cycle Magazine tested a motorcycle on the road course in August 1973 / the more successful dragstrip was last
used in late October 1983 / the site is now an industrial park and highway flyover

Bonneville Raceway Park – north-west of West Valley City, Utah

Location: 40°43'7.98"N / 112°2'36.97"W / www.rmrracing.com

Opened as a dragstrip May 1965 / aka Bonneville Dragway / the facility moved to a new location nearby in 1968 / it reopened
there in July / an oval and a 1.7 mi road course were added at that time as well / the latter hosted the Great Salt Lake Road
Races from 1968-1971 / this event had previously been held at West Jordan Airport in Midvale / the new road course was
described as being hard on the brakes / it also ran in 1972 but may have been abandoned for many years after that

The American IndyCar Series held a race on a 1.4 mi layout of the road course in August 1991 / in 1992 and 1993 the series
ran on the oval rather than the road course / the Utah Sportsbike Association also raced on the road course in the early
1990s / it was seemingly abandoned after 1994 due to continuing deterioration of the track surface / the entire facility
was then overhauled and renamed Rocky Mountain Raceways in 1997 / only the oval and dragstrip have operated
since then

Donnybrooke Speedway – north-west of Brainerd, Minnesota

Location: 46°25'4.54"N / 94°16'30.64"W / www.brainerdraceway.com

Opened August 1968 / aka Donnybrook Raceway / designed by George Montgomery and Bill Peters senior / now known as
Brainerd International Raceway / still active

Sears Point International Raceway – south of Sonoma and north east of Novato, California / YT / YT
Location: 38°9'45.21"N / 122°27'26.32"W / www.infineonraceway.com

Opened December 1968 / the first race was an SCCA enduro / briefly renamed Golden State International Raceway in 1980 /
known as Infineon Raceway as of 2002 / the track was renamed again in 2012 to Sonoma Raceway / series that have raced
here include the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup, IMSA GT, ALMS, Grand-Am, Trans-Am, WTCC and AMA Superbike /
still active
 American Road Courses Page 15

1969

Michigan International Speedway – south of Brooklyn, Michigan

Location: 42°4'1.97"N / 84°14'27.41"W / www.mispeedway.com

The 2.0 mi superspeedway opened October 1968 / built for circa $4.5 million by Lawrence LoPatin / broke ground in late
September 1967 / the road course was first used in May 1969 for a Trans-Am race / it was designed by Stirling Moss and
ran both inside and outside of the oval / several modifications were then made before a Can-Am race in September / the
circuit was also shortened by bypassing the so-called Karussell corner / the course was last used in May 1973 for a
Formula 5000 race / Roger Penske took over the speedway later that month

A different infield-only layout was then used for an IMSA race in September 1984 / this was the first road race at Michigan
International Speedway in eleven years / the SCCA subsequently held races occasionally until roughly the early- to mid-
1990s / only the oval is still active for racing nowadays but according to the Speedway's official website the infield road
course is occasionally still used for testing purposes / both courses were repaved in 2012 / the external section of the
original road course is now a part of the camping grounds next to the oval

Shelby County International Raceway – directly south of Lakeland, Tennessee

Location: 35°13'22.09"N / 89°43'45.11"W

Began as a dragstrip called Lakeland International Raceway in July 1960 / aka Lakeland Drag Strip / the 1.7 mi road course
seemingly opened with a USAC stock car race in June 1969 / by then the facility was known as Shelby County International
Raceway although it apparently reverted back to the original name at a later date / it was described as a very tough circuit /
the race suffered from extreme heat and a poor track surface / a further USAC race took place in October / these two races
are the only documented meetings on the road course but the SCCA also ran some events here / it is not known until when
the circuit operated / the dragstrip closed in 1979 and the facility was then abandoned / as of April 2010 the site was being
turned into a residential area / please note this track must not be confused with Lakeside Speedbowl, an oval located on the
other side of present-day Interstate 40 in or near an amusement park / this operated from September 1960 through 1968

Pocono International Raceway – south-west of Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania

Location: 41°3'22.80"N / 75°30'35.30"W / www.poconoraceway.com

Opened as a ¾-mile oval in May 1969 / the original opening race in October 1968 was rained out / construction of the facility
was not completely finished until spring 1969 / the road course was first used in September 1969 as per Allan Brown but this
is unconfirmed / construction of the 2.5 mi triangular superspeedway began as early as 1965 but it was completed only in
1971 / the track inspection took place on 3 June and the oval held its maiden race exactly one month later / the facility
was overhauled in the 1990s / the ¾-mile oval was torn down and the original road course partially redrawn / several
additional layouts were added as well / now named Pocono Raceway / nicknamed The Tricky Triangle / still active

Summit Point Speedway – south-west of Ranson and Charles Town, West Virginia / YT
Location: 39°14'15.86"N / 77°58'15.85"W / www.summitpoint-raceway.com

Opened September or October 1969 / the first race was either on 28 September or 5 October / the official website strangely
claims the circuit opened May 1970 but that is incorrect / the course was lengthened from 1.85 to 2.0 miles in September
or October 1970 / the facility was later renamed Summit Point Raceway / located a stone's throw from the state border
with Virginia / two separate smaller road courses known as the Jefferson Circuit and Shenandoah Circuit were added to
the facility in 1996 and 2004 respectively / the Washington Circuit for karting followed in spring 2009 / now known as
Summit Point Motorsports Park / still active

Talladega Superspeedway – north of Talladega, south east of Lincoln, Alabama

Location: 33°34'2.79"N / 86°3'58.75"W / www.talladegasuperspeedway.com

The 2.5 mi superspeedway opened September 1969 as Alabama International Motor Speedway / the first race on the infield
road course was held in November / it was last used in 1983 as per Allan Brown / however while the last auto races may
have been held that year, several AMA motorcycle races are known to have been staged between June 1988 and October
1990 / the June 1988 event was announced as the first motorcycle race here in four years / the facility was renamed
Talladega Superspeedway in 1989 / the road course still exists but is defunct / the oval is still active

Texas World Speedway – south-east of College Station, Texas

Location: 30°32'14.96"N / 96°13'18.66"W / www.texasworldspeedway.com

Opened circa November 1969 as Texas International Speedway / the track had been first announced in January and was
modelled after Michigan International Speedway / the inaugural event is believed to have been a Can-Am race on the infield
road course in November / however it is possible there was an SCCA regional before that, in October / the superspeedway
opened with the Texas 500 NASCAR race the following month / the facility was unsuccessful and soon went bankrupt / all
major meetings for 1970 were cancelled, but at least one non-spectator SCCA national meeting took place that year / a
new management then took over and renamed the track Texas World Speedway / it reopened December 1971 / the oval
is nowadays too bumpy for racing and is only used for testing occasionally / the road course hosts minor races / not to
be confused with Texas Motor Speedway near Forth Worth, see below
 American Road Courses Page 16

CIRCUITS OF THE 1970s

1970

Dallas International Motor Speedway – south-east of Lewisville, Texas

Location: 33°0'38.36"N / 96°57'52.80"W

The state-of-the-art dragstrip opened June 1969 / the opening event was marred by a fatal accident / the first known meeting
on the road course was a Formula 5000 race in July 1970 / four further events that year were cancelled / a Trans-Am race
had been called off due to heavy rain in April / a USAC championship race and a SCCA Volkswagen Cup event both scheduled
for early August were also cancelled / finally an AMA Grand National motorcycle race in October did not go ahead either / the
last known race on the road course was an AMA Grand National meeting in April 1973 / races of the Volkswagen Cup and
L&M Formula 5000 Series scheduled for early August were both cancelled / the facility went bankrupt and shut down
that same year / it remained for some time but was built over in the 1990s / there is no trace of it today

Road Atlanta – north-west of Braselton, Georgia / YT / YT

Location: 34°8'43.89"N / 83°48'57.58"W / www.roadatlanta.com

Opened September 1970 with an SCCA Can-Am meeting / co-founded and designed by David Sloyer / went bankrupt in 1993
but was saved / Don Panoz purchased the track in November 1996 / it was gradually updated and upgraded after that / has
hosted the Petit Le Mans endurance race since 1998 / still active

Ontario Motor Speedway – between Ontario and Fontana, California

Location: 34°4'22.70"N / 117°33'58.70"W

The 2.5 mi superspeedway opened in September 1970 / this was designed by Mike Parker and based on Indianapolis Motor
Speedway / the first meeting on the infield road course was held later that month, one week after Road Atlanta opened / this
was designed by John Hugenholtz / the last race on the road course was probably held in August 1980 / the last race on the
oval was in November / the facility was sold and closed in late December / it was torn down in 1981 and has been built over /
ironically, a new superspeedway opened in nearby Fontana in 1997, less than four miles from where Ontario Motor Speedway
used to be

1971

Charlotte Motor Speedway – north-west of Harrisburg, North Carolina

Location: 35°21'7.06"N / 80°40'58.60"W / www.charlottemotorspeedway.com

The oval opened in June 1960 / the first race on the 1.75 mi infield road course was held in May 1971 / a new 2.25 mi layout
debuted in August 1974 / the facility was later renamed Lowe's Motor Speedway but reverted to its original name in 2010 /
still active

1973

Lakeland International Raceway – south-west of Polk City, Florida

Location: 28°9'5.64"N / 81°53'12.03"W / lakelanddragstrip.com

Opened as a dragstrip circa 1971 / a SCCA race titled Sun State Grand Prix was held in July 1973 / the 1.8 mi road course
likely used the dragstrip and return road / no further races are documented but there may well have been / the facility is
now known as Lakeland Motorsports Park / aka Lakeland Dragstrip / the dragstrip is still active
 American Road Courses Page 17

1974

Gainesville Raceway – north-east of Gainesville, Florida

Location: 29°45'30.04"N / 82°15'58.57"W / www.gainesvilleraceway.com

Opened as a dragstrip in 1969 as per the official website / Allan Brown has 1968 / aka Gainesville Dragway / the first known
race on the road course was the non-spectator Grand Prix de Gainesville in August 1974 / this was organised by the Florida
Sports Car Club under SCCA sanction / said club held further races in September and October 1975 / the SCCA Sun State
Grand Prix then took place in May 1976 / there were also several motorcycle races that year organised by a club called
Florida Gran Prix Riders Association / the road course was last used in 1984 as per Brown / this is unconfirmed / around
the year 2000 a small new purpose-built road course was added / this was designed by Alan Wilson and Donald
Robertson / it is mainly used for vehicle testing and training courses but may also host kart and autocross events

La Junta Raceway – at the airport north of La Junta, Colorado

Location: 38°2'32.32"N / 103°31'16.50"W

Opened in 1974 as per Allan Brown / exact date or month is missing / the circuit is located in a disused corner of La Junta
Municipal Airport / it uses taxiways and a portion of an old runway / the layout seems to be marked permanently / there
is also a pit lane / as such the circuit arguably can be considered permanent / however it lacks further facilities / the track
length is often reported as being 1.5 or even 1.9 mi / in reality the circuit is less than 1.3 mi / still active / it should be
noted there had already been annual sports car races on a longer course at the airfield from 1955 until at least 1961 / this
measured 3.1 miles the latter year

1975

Pueblo Motorsports Park – north-west of Pueblo, Colorado / YT / YT

Location: 38°18'10.01"N / 104°40'37.82"W / www.pueblomotorsportspark.us

Reportedly opened June 1975 / the dragstrip was reportedly first used in September / the road course was extended in the
late 1980s / hosted the American Indycar Series and its successor the United States Speedway Series on several occasions
in the 2000s / the facility is scheduled to remain closed between September 2011 and March 2012 in order to completely
repave the dragstrip and road course / still active

Bremerton Raceway – at the airport south-west of Bremerton, Washington

Location: 47°29'26.25"N / 122°45'14.95"W / www.bremertonmotorsportspark.com

Opened circa 1975 as per Allan Brown / exact info is missing / the circuit is located at Bremerton National Airport / formerly
Kitsap County Airport / the dragstrip and 1.1 mi road course are laid out on the disused south-eastern runway / as such the
facility can arguably be considered permanent, like La Junta Raceway in Colorado / now known as Bremerton MotorSports
Park / still active / there are plans to build a large multi-use new facility near Bremerton Airport / it should also be noted
there had already been races at the airfield on various layouts from 1954-1957

Oak Hill Raceway – north-east of Henderson, Texas

Location: 32°15'28.52"N / 94°42'8.23"W

Reportedly opened in 1975 / designed and built by Jack Reed / Allan Brown says it opened in 1970 but this is definitely
incorrect / strangely the track does not appear on a 1983 topographical map / not to be confused with the motorcross track
of the same name near Decatur, also in Texas, which apparently opened in 1975 as well / Oak Hill Raceway closed in late
2009 / it ran karts and motorcycles only / its future is uncertain at present but it may fall victim to a nearby coal mining
operation

Las Vegas Speedrome – north-east of North Las Vegas, Nevada

Location: 36°16'19.76"N / 115°0'37.29"W

Opened as a dragstrip circa early 1972 / Allan Brown has 1958 while other sources point to 1979 but both are incorrect / a
small road course was added circa 1983 as per Brown / however it is visible on a topographical map dated June 1982 and
believed to have been built some time in the early to mid-1970s / exact info is missing / aka Las Vegas Speedway Park /
aka Las Vegas International Speedway / aka Las Vegas Raceway Park / the road course was torn down around October
1995 when the new Las Vegas Motor Speedway was built at the site / this opened in September 1996 / see below / the
dragstrip survived until 2000 when it was replaced by a new one named The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

1976

Hallett Motor Racing Circuit – south-west of Hallett, Oklahoma / YT

Location: 36°13'21.80"N / 96°35'34.23"W / www.hallettracing.net

Opened in 1976 as per the official website / Allan Brown has 1977 / exact info is missing / still active
 American Road Courses Page 18

CIRCUITS OF THE 1980s

1983

Second Creek Raceway – north-east of Commerce City and west of Denver International Airport, Colorado
Location: 39°51'29.12"N / 104°47'19.24"W

Reportedly opened September 1983 / hosted the American Indycar Series Colorado Grand Prix in August 1992 / closed in
late 2005 / the circuit was still there as of June 2010 but increasingly deteriorating / the site may be turned into a
residential area in the future

Firebird International Raceway – south-west of Chandler, Arizona / YT

Location: 33°16'1.23"N / 111°58'14.54"W / www.firebirdraceway.com

Opened in 1983 / the exact date or month is not known / the facility includes several separate road courses, an oval and a
dragstrip / it also has an artificial lake for powerboat racing / aka Firebird International Speedway / Ayrton Senna tested a
Penske Indycar at this track in December 1992 / hosted a one-off AMA Superbike race in September 1995 / the United
States Speedway Series ran here from 2001-2002 / still active

1984

North Carolina Motor Speedway – north-east of Rockingham near Marston, North Carolina
Location: 34°58'27.25"N / 79°36'39.09"W / www.rockinghamspeedway.com

The oval opened in October 1965 / note there had already been a record run in late September / according to Allan Brown the
road course operated from 1989-1997 / however this is not correct as several motorcycle races are known to have been held
between April 1984 and at least 1988 / Brown also claims the infield road course was already active in the 1960s but actually
it had not been built yet at that time / it also does not appear yet on a 1982 topographical map

The facility merged with Penske Motorsports and was renamed North Carolina Speedway in 1997 / the road course was then
abandoned / however it was restored in 2007 and racing has resumed as of January 2008 / the facility is now named
Rockingham Speedway / nicknamed The Rock / still active

1985

Gateway International Raceway – between East St. Louis and Madison, Illinois
Location: 38°39'4.41"N / 90°8'5.92"W / www.gatewaymsp.com

Began as a dragstrip known as St. Louis Raceway Park in May 1967 / the name changed to St. Louis International Raceway in
1971 / a road course was added and opened in June 1985 / the name changed to Gateway International Raceway in 1988 /
the facility was then completely torn down in 1996 and a new dragstrip and oval with infield road course were built on the
site / the oval opened May 1997 while the first road race was one month later / Dover Motorsports Inc announced the
closure of the facility in November 2010 / no events were scheduled for 2011 but the track reopened with drag racing
as Gateway Motorsports Park in March 2012 / the road course and dragstrip are now active again

Talladega Gran Prix Raceway – between Talladega and Munford, Alabama

Location: 33°30'11.92"N / 86°0'4.77"W / www.tgprace.com

Opened in 1985 / reportedly opened in the fall but the exact date or month is missing / renovated in the second half of
2006 / the new layout has been in use since 2007 / note the name is actually spelled Gran Prix rather than Grand
Prix / located less than six miles from Talladega Superspeedway as the crow flies / still active

1986

Continental Divide Race Park – east of Mead, Colorado

Location: 40°14'6.90"N / 104°58'36.36"W

Reportedly opened September 1986 / the track hosted the American Indycar Series Colorado Grand Prix on several occasions
between 1988 and 1999 / reportedly closed in 2005 / formerly known as Mountain View Motorsports Park / aka Mountain
View Raceway / the circuit was completely abandoned and increasingly deteriorating by summer 2010
 American Road Courses Page 19

1987

Memphis International Motorsports Park – between Memphis and Millington, Tennessee / YT

Location: 35°16'48.01"N / 89°56'25.15"W / racemir.com

Opened circa August 1987 / construction started around September 1986 / the facility included an oval, a dragstrip and a
road course / the first meeting on the latter seems to have been an AMA Superbike race in August / Trans-Am raced here
in September 1987 / later known as Memphis Motorsports Park / the facility closed in November 2009 / it was sold for just
over two million dollars at an auction in December 2010 / the venue was renamed Memphis International Raceway / the
road course seemingly reopened for small events around June 2011 / the three-quarter mile oval was also reopened for
testing in June but the first actual test session was not until a month later

1989

Heartland Park Topeka – south of Topeka, Kansas

Location: 38°55'25.39"N / 95°40'24.63"W / www.hpt.com

Opened August 1989 / first proposed in 1985 / broke ground in May 1988 / the road course offers numerous layouts / the
facility also includes a dragstrip / aka Heartland Park of Topeka / still active
 American Road Courses Page 20

CIRCUITS OF THE 1990s

1990

New Hampshire International Speedway – north of Loudon, New Hampshire

Location: 43°21'45.76"N / 71°27'37.23"W / www.nhms.com

Built on the site of the former Bryar Motorsports Park / construction of the oval began in December 1988 / it was officially
opened in early June 1990 but the first actual race was held on the road course, later that same month / the first race on
the oval took place in July / the circuit runs both inside and outside of the oval / the facility was renamed New Hampshire
Motor Speedway in 2008 / still active

Coos Bay International Speedway – halfway between Coos Bay and Coquille, Oregon
Location: 43°15'53.33"N / 124°14'1.13"W / www.coosbayspeedway.us

Started as a paved oval in 1972 as per Allan Brown / a dragstrip and a short but daunting make-shift road course opened
in 1990 / the latter was a combination of the dragstrip, the return road and part of the oval / it operated from 1990-2001
according to Brown / motorcycles raced here in the mid-1990s / fastest laps were below 50 seconds / only the oval and
dragstrip are still active / note the oval has been dirt since the summer of 2007 / now known as Coos Bay Speedway

1991

Putnam Park Road Course – south of Mount Meridian, Indiana / YT

Location: 39°35'0.10"N / 86°44'42.46"W / www.putnampark.com

Opened September 1991 / the first event was a kart race of the Indianapolis Kart Club on Labor Day / designed and built by
Richard 'Dick' Diasio / still active

1993

Atlanta Motor Speedway – directly west of Hampton, Georgia

Location: 33°22'59.41"N / 84°19'4.75"W / www.atlantamotorspeedway.com

The oval opened July 1960 as Atlanta International Raceway / construction of an infield road course began June 1992 / it was
scheduled to be completed by August that year / the first race may have been the IMSA GT race in April 1993 / Allan Brown
says it operated from 1990-1999 but this is not entirely correct / a shorter layout was used at least in 2008 / strangely a
motorcycle road race had been announced for October 1984 even though the road course had not been built yet at that
time / the oval is still active but it is unclear whether the road course is too

Thunderhill Raceway Park – west of Willows, California

Location: 39°32'31.09"N / 122°19'55.57"W / www.thunderhill.com

Opened October 1993 / lengthened circa 1998-1999 with a new loop west of the original course / still active

1996

Buttonwillow Raceway Park – north-west of Buttonwillow, California

Location: 35°29'17.11"N / 119°32'40.44"W / buttonwillowraceway.com

Opened March 1996 / note there had already been a practice session in December 1995 / the course offers numerous
layouts / Buttonwillow was the scene of the DeltaWing sports car's first shakedown in late February 2012 / still active

Homestead Miami Speedway – east of Homestead, Florida

Location: 25°27'4.98"N / 80°24'30.15"W / www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com

The oval opened in November 1995 as Homestead Motorsports Complex / it was reportedly designed by Emerson Fittipaldi /
Indycar teams tested on both the oval and road course in January and February 1996 / the first races on the road course
may have been the Toyota Atlantic and Trans-Am races in March / this is the southernmost permanent road course in the
United States / still active
 American Road Courses Page 21

Spokane Raceway Park – west of Spokane and north of Airway Heights, Washington
Location: 47°39'37.99"N / 117°34'26.40"W / www.spokanecountyraceway.com

Opened as a dragstrip and oval in June 1974 / the main initiator was Orville Moe / the road course was also built at that time
but not paved for almost twenty years / it was first used as a paved course in May 1996 / aka Spokane Motorsports Park / the
facility is now named Spokane County Raceway / this is the northernmost permanent road course in the United States / has
suffered from problems surrounding the ownership in recent years but is still active / note the southern portion of the
road course was reconfigured in 2011 which significantly reduced the length of the main straightaway

Las Vegas Motor Speedway – north-east of North Las Vegas, Nevada

Location: 36°16'19.76"N / 115°0'37.29"W / www.lvms.com

The 1.5 mi D-shaped oval opened September 1996 / the first test runs had been held in June / it was built on the site of the
old Las Vegas Speedrome / see above / the oval includes two infield road courses / the first road race was an AMA Superbike
meeting in early October 1996 / there is also an additional road course adjacent to the oval / this was later lengthened with
two new loops around 2003-2004 / one of these runs through a parking lot / the facility nowadays also includes a dragstrip,
two smaller ovals and more / still active

GingerMan Raceway – east of South Haven near Lacota, Michigan

Location: 42°24'23.68"N / 86°8'17.26"W / www.gingermanraceway.com

Opened in 1996 as per the official website / however Allan Brown says it opened already in October 1995 / exact info is
missing / designed by Alan Wilson / still active

1997

Hutchinson Island Road Course – directly north of downtown Savannah, Georgia

Location: 32°5'12.70"N / 81°4'35.38"W / www.hhiconcours.com

Opened in May 1997 with an Indy Lights race / the circuit was purpose-built for this event with a view to possibly attract an
Indycar race / for some reason it was abandoned after that one meeting / the circuit was open to everyday traffic over the
next years / it finally reopened for exhibition runs in October 2008 and then HSR vintage races in 2009 / aka Savannah
Harbor Race Course / aka Grand Prize of America Track / still active for vintage races and SCCA solo events

Pikes Peak International Raceway – south of Fountain, Colorado

Location: 38°35'31.77"N / 104°40'33.94"W / www.ppir.com

The oval opened June 1997 / the first race on the infield road course was an AMA Superbike meeting in August / the facility
closed in November 2005 / it reopened September 2008 / still active

1998

Route 66 Raceway – south of Joliet, Illinois

Location: 41°27'47.35"N / 88°4'22.09"W / www.route66raceway.com

The dragstrip opened May 1998 / the facility also included a ½-mile dirt oval and a 2.0 mi road course / the latter operated
from 1998-2001 as per Allan Brown / Payton-Coyne Racing tested its two CART cars on the road course in late June 1998 /
an AMA Superbike race was announced for August but cancelled over safety concerns of the riders / located directly across
the road from Chicagoland Speedway which opened in July 2001 / the dragstrip and oval are still active

Spring Mountain Motorsports Park – directly south-east of Pahrump, Nevada / YT

Location: 36°10'16.94"N / 115°54'23.60"W / www.springmountainmotorsports.com

Opened in 1998 as a test track for Corvette owners as per Allan Brown / however the circuit may have opened several years
earlier / exact info is missing / according to Brown it also hosted races from September 2001 - 2002 / all info unconfirmed /
the course now seems to be a private members-only facility / now known as Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch / still active

Arroyo Seco Raceway – roughly halfway between Deming and Las Cruces, New Mexico
Location: 32°14'15.28"N / 107°25'44.97"W / www.arroyosecoraceway.com

Reportedly opened in 1998 / exact info is missing / aka Arroyo Seco Motorplex / still active
 American Road Courses Page 22

1999

MotorSport Ranch – directly south of Cresson, Texas

Location: 32°31'17.12"N / 97°37'3.83"W / www.motorsportranch.com

Opened June or July 1999 / a private members-only facility / the circuit was lengthened circa 2005 / still active

Carolina Motorsports Park – south of Kershaw, South Carolina

Location: 34°29'16.98"N / 80°35'42.12"W / www.carolinamotorsportspark.com

Opened June or July 1999 / designed by Alan Wilson / still active

Carolina Motorsports Park is the first and so far only permanent road course in South Carolina / however, in mid-1988 work
began on a new facility called Grand Strand Motorsports Park near Myrtle Beach / this $12 million project was to include a
2.25 mi road course, a 1.5 mi oval, a dragstrip and a motorcross track / several events were scheduled for 1989 but for
reasons unknown the track never became reality
 American Road Courses Page 23

CIRCUITS OF THE 2000s

2000

Sandia Motor Speedway – south-west of Albuquerque and west of South Valley, New Mexico
Location: 35°1'14.39"N / 106°51'26.86"W / www.sandia-speedway.com

Opened May 2000 / aka Sandia Motorsports Park / now named Sandia Speedway / was auctioned for sale on Ebay in 2004
and 2005 / still active

Texas Motor Speedway – north of Keller, Texas

Location: 33°2'13.01"N / 97°16'55.13"W / www.texasmotorspeedway.com

The oval opened April 1997 / an infield road course was planned as well but construction did not begin until June 2000 / the
first race was a combined ALMS and Trans-Am meeting in early September / whether the road course is still used at present
is unclear / the oval is still active

Indianapolis Motor Speedway – west of Indianapolis in Speedway, Indiana

Location: 39°47'43.16"N / 86°14'5.03"W / www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com

The 2.5 mi superspeedway opened August 1909 as a dirt oval / it was paved with bricks by December 1909 / the infield road
course was added to host the Formula 1 United States GP and opened late September 2000 / the last Formula 1 GP was held
June 2007 / the layout was modified for motorcycle racing between July 2007 and April 2008 / still active

2001

Nashville Superspeedway – north-east of Smyrna, Tennessee

Location: 36°2'44.56"N / 86°24'24.83"W / www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com

Opened April 2001 / the facility consists of a concrete oval and an infield road course / it is not known when the latter was
first used / In August 2011, track owner Dover Motorsports Inc announced the track would not schedule any NASCAR
dates for 2012 and the facility shut down at the end of the 2011 season, although it is still available for testing / at
present its future remains unclear

No Problem Raceway Park – roughly between Donaldsonville and Paincourtville, Louisiana

Location: 30°1'3.38"N / 91°4'47.09"W / www.circuitgrandbayou.com

Opened June or July 2001 / some sources say it opened in October 2001 / however according to Allan Brown this refers to the
dragstrip / the initiator was Pat Joffrion / note the road course is now known as Circuit Grand Bayou while the dragstrip is
called No Problem Raceway at Circuit Grand Bayou / there are plans to upgrade the existing 1.8 mi circuit into a longer
and more modern track / still active

Jennings GP – south-west of Jennings, Florida

Location: 30°34'34.02"N / 83°9'23.65"W / www.jenningsgp.com

Opened circa October 2001 / a motorcycles-only circuit / aka North Florida Motorsports Park / still active

2002

California Speedway – directly west of Fontana, California

Location: 34°5'19.09"N / 117°30'4.61"W / www.autoclubspeedway.com

The superspeedway opened June 1997 / it was built on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill / construction of the infield
road course began June 2001 / the first meeting was a Grand-Am race in March 2002 / the facility was renamed Auto
Club Speedway in 2008 / the oval is the fastest-ever racing circuit in the world / still active

Mid America Motorplex – directly west of Pacific Junction, Iowa

Location: 41°1'31.84"N / 95°49'8.60"W / www.midamericamotorplex.com

Opened March or April 2002 / designed by Alan Wilson / this was the first purpose-built road course in Iowa since the
short-lived Greenwood Roadway closed in the 1960s / the facility also includes a dragstrip / still active
 American Road Courses Page 24

BeaveRun Motorsports Complex – north-west of Koppel, Pennsylvania / YT

Location: 40°51'3.41"N / 80°20'53.45"W / www.pittrace.com

Opened September 2002 / designed by Alan Wilson / the facility consists of the 1.53 mi North Track and the short and
twisting Wilson Circuit, which is primarily used for karting / an approximately 1.5 mi South Track was originally planned
as well / this was to be completed by summer 2007 but as of April 2012 it had not been built / now named Pittsburgh
International Race Complex / still active

2003

Barber Motorsports Park – south-west of Leeds, Alabama / YT

Location: 33°31'54.12"N / 86°37'9.97"W / www.barbermotorsports.com

Opened January 2003 as per the official website / the first actual race appears to have been held by the SCCA Alabama
Region in mid-March / the first major event was a Grand-Am sports car race in May / apparently this was also the first
event open to spectators / designed by Alan Wilson / founded by and named after George Barber / the facility includes
a large museum of vintage and modern motorcycles and racing cars / still active

Arizona Motorsports Park – between Litchfield Park and Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
Location: 33°30'54.45"N / 112°23'25.52"W / arizonamotorsportspark.com

Opened March 2003 / designed by Alan Wilson / located only ten miles from Phoenix International Raceway as the crow
flies / closed in January 2004 when the permit was revoked due to complaints about the noise / a decision by the state
Court of Appeals in August 2009 gave the track the green light to reopen provided it does not exceed a noise limit /
the track appears to have reopened for track days in early 2011 but vehicles may not exceed 94 dB

Reno-Fernley Raceway – south of Fernley, Nevada

Location: 39°32'24.66"N / 119°14'33.29"W / www.reno-fernleyraceway.com

Started as a dirt oval in late 1998 / the facility also included a motorcross track and off-road courses / a 1.19 mi paved road
course opened circa April 2003 / it was lengthened to 2.17 mi by mid-2004 and to 4.0 mi by September 2005 / this makes
it one of the longest purpose-built circuits in the world / still active

2005

Autobahn Country Club – south-west of Joliet and Rockdale, Illinois

Location: 41°27'22.16"N / 88°7'37.28"W / www.autobahncc.com

Opened April 2005 / designed by Alan Wilson / located just over three miles south-west of the Chicagoland Speedway oval /
the full-length course is one of the longest in the United States at 3.531 mi / still active

MSR Houston – north of Angleton, Texas

Location: 29°16'40.55"N / 95°25'13.67"W / msrhouston.com

Opened December 2005 / a private members-only facility / also used for testing and amateur racing / MSR originally stood
for Motor Sports Ranch Houston / it now stands for Mercedes-Benz of Sugarland Road Course / aka MBSL Road Course /
still active

2006

Miller Motorsports Park – between Grantsville and Tooele, Utah

Location: 40°34'42.10"N / 112°22'44.23"W / www.racemph.com

Opened June 2006 / note there had already been several smaller events in April and May / AMA had a test day in April and
the first open track day was also held that month / built by Larry Miller / designed by Alan Wilson / the longest layout
measures 4.486 mi / this makes it the longest circuit in the United States and one of the longest in the world / the
first real race meeting on the full-length course was the American Le Mans Series race in July 2006 / still active

Motorsports Park Hastings – directly east of Hastings, Nebraska / YT

Location: 40°34'45.91"N / 98°20'59.26"W

Opened August 2006 / designed by Alan Wilson / the first ever purpose-built racing circuit in Nebraska / located surprisingly
close to town / still active
 American Road Courses Page 25

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park – north of Englishtown and Yorketown, New Jersey
Location: 40°20'4.50"N / 74°21'12.59"W / www.etownraceway.com

Opened as a dragstrip named Madison Township Raceway Park in summer 1965 as per the official website / Allan Brown says
it opened in July 1964 but this is likely incorrect / the facility was later expanded with motorcross tracks / aka Englishtown
Raceway Park / a short and low-speed road course was added circa 2006 / however it may not have opened until June
2008 / the track owner had already put down tarmac as early as 2003 before the authorities approved the road
course / he was fined by the township / still active

2007

Iowa Speedway – directly south-east of Newton, Iowa

Location: 41°40'31.35"N / 93°0'48.03"W / www.iowaspeedway.com

The ⅞-mile paved oval opened September 2006 / there had already been an IRL compatibility test in early August / the oval
was designed by Rusty Wallace / the first meeting on the 1.3 mi infield road course was a Grand-Am Cup race in April 2007 /
Alan Wilson designed the road course / still active

Eagles Canyon Raceway – north-east of Decatur near Slidell, Texas / YT / YT

Location: 33°22'4.15"N / 97°25'55.45"W / www.eaglescanyon.com

Opened informally in May 2007 / opened officially in November / built by David and Linda Cook / designed by Rob Wilson /
no relation to Alan Wilson / still active

GrandSport Speedway – directly south-west of Hitchcock, Texas

Location: 29°19'30.88"N / 95°2'44.01"W / grandsportspeedway.com

Opened July or August 2007 / currently consists of the so-called Mako Circuit / the additional Tiger Circuit is planned but
has yet to be build as of February 2012 / the site used to be a WW2 Naval Air Station / still active

2008

Harris Hill Road – north-east of San Marcos, Texas / YT

Location: 29°55'6.61"N / 97°52'18.70"W / harrishillroad.com

Opened June 2008 / the opening was announced on 15 June / designed by David Donovan / aka H2R / this is a private
members-only facility / still active

New Jersey Motorsports Park – south of Millville, New Jersey / YT / YT

Location: 39°21'34.55"N / 75°3'43.23"W / www.njmp.com

Opened July 2008 / the official opening was on 4-5 July / the first meeting open to spectators was an event of the Sports
Car Vintage Racing Association on 7-10 August / the facility consists of two completely separate circuits named Thunderbolt
Raceway and Lightning Raceway / located about six miles from old Vineland Speedway / filed for bankruptcy in March
2011 / however the season went ahead as planned and the track remains active

Monticello Motor Club – south of Monticello, New York / YT

Location: 41°37'23.76"N / 74°41'59.63"W / monticellomotorclub.com

Opened July 2008 / designed by Brian Redman and Bruce Hawkins / a private members-only facility / the longest layout
measures 4.1 mi / this makes it one of the longest circuits in the world / still active

European Motorsports Park – north of Keystone Heights, Florida / YT

Location: 29°50'51.40"N / 82°3'28.44"W / www.gorally.com

The facility opened in 1999 / it is located at an old airpark / the road course opened circa October 2008 / this was built using
existing roads and one of the old runways / the circuit does not appear to be used for racing but rather only for training
purposes / aka European Rally & Performance Driving School / aka European Rally School & Motorsport Park / still active

Oregon Raceway Park – east of Grass Valley, Oregon / YT / YT

Location: 45°21'59.28"N / 120°44'41.68"W / oregonraceway.com

Opened informally November 2008 / certified by the SCCA circa late 2009 / certified for motorcycle racing in March 2011 /
the circuit's signature turn is a banked sweeper named The Half Pipe / still active
 American Road Courses Page 26

Driveway Austin – directly east of downtown Austin, Texas

Location: 30°15'48.43"N / 97°39'16.45"W / www.drivewayaustin.com

Seemingly opened circa 2005 as a kart track / expanded into a full-length road course in 2008 / exact info is missing /
designed by Bill Dollahite / the facility is mostly used for training purposes / there is no actual racing / aka Driveway
Austin Motorsports Academy and Retreat / still active

2009

Central Florida Racing Complex – between Southchase and Taft, Florida

Location: 28°24'42.98"N / 81°22'51.75"W / cfracingcomplex.com

Opened with a track day in January 2009 / aka Central Florida Road Course / the facility includes a dragstrip, a kart track
and a short make-shift road course / still active

High Plains Raceway – north-east of Deer Trail along Highway 36, Colorado / YT
Location: 39°44'4.77"N / 103°53'50.54"W / www.highplainsraceway.com

Opened May 2009 / built in seven weeks in August and September 2008 / a club-owned circuit / still active

Inde Motorsports Ranch – west of Willcox and Cochise County Airport, Arizona
Location: 32°13'33.97"N / 110°0'28.95"W / www.indemotorsports.com

Opened December 2009 / a private members-only facility / initiated and owned by Graham Dorland / designed by Barry
Ellis / still active
 American Road Courses Page 27

CIRCUITS OF THE 2010s

2010

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway – north-east of Desert Center, California / YT / YT

Location: 33°45'11.75"N / 115°19'3.35"W / chuckwallavalleyraceway.com

Opened April 2010 / designed by Ed Bargy / a private members-only facility / still active

2012

NOLA Motorsports Park – directly south of Avondale near New Orleans, Louisiana
Location: 29°53'4.08"N / 90°12'6.56"W / www.nolamotor.com

Opened January 2012 / designed by Alan Wilson / the first race meeting was to be the NASA Car di Gras in late December
2011 but this was cancelled as the facility was not entirely ready yet / the first events were track days in January 2012 /
the first professional motorsport event was an AMA Superbike Series meeting in October 2012 / the facility will ultimately
comprise two race tracks of 2.75 and 2.69 mi respectively / the full-length layout will measure 5.37 mi making it the
longest road course in the United States and one of the longest in the world / however only the north course and a
kart track have been built so far / paving began in August 2011 and was finished by early October

The Ridge Motorsports Park – north-west of Shelton, Washington

Location: 47°15'19.93"N / 123°11'28.04"W / www.ridgemotorsportspark.com

Opened March 2012 / the facility includes a road course and a dragstrip / initiated by Rod and Karen Powell / designed by
Steve Crawford based on initial designs by Johannes van Overbeek / the Special Use Permit was granted in April 2011 /
basic paving was finished by November 2011 and the first try-out laps were completed early that month as well / the
first actual events were driving schools in March 2012 while the inaugural race was a WMRRA motorcycle event in
late May

Atlanta Motorsports Park – west of Dawsonville, Georgia

Location: 34°25'57.49"N / 84°10'48.58"W / www.atlantamotorsportspark.net

Opened May 2012 / construction commenced in March 2010 / paving began in February 2011 / guard rails were being
installed by December / final paving was done in March 2012 / the facility includes a road course and kart track /
designed by Tilke Engineering / opened in May although the track was still being finished

Circuit of the Americas – south-east of Austin, Texas

Location: 30°7'56.14"N / 97°38'31.74"W / circuitoftheamericas.com

Opened November 2012 / first announced in May 2010 / initiated by Tavo Hellmund / the exact location of the circuit
was revealed in late July / the track layout was made public in September 2010 / the venue was built specifically to host
the Formula 1 United States GP from 2012 onwards / the track will also host MotoGP, FIA WEC, ALMS, Grand-Am and V8
Supercars from 2013 / designed by Tilke Engineering based on earlier designs by Tavo Hellmund and Kevin Schwantz /
soil sampling began on 30 December 2010 / grading of the circuit layout and the movement of a pipeline began in February
2011 / the circuit's name, inspired by a Mexican horse track called Hipódromo de las Américas, was revealed in April /
paving was completed by late September 2012 / the circuit was officially opened with demonstration runs on 21
October / the first actual race meeting was the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix from 16-18 November
 American Road Courses Page 28

2013

Kansas Speedway – west of Kansas City, Kansas

Location: 39°6'57.29"N / 94°49'51.88"W / www.kansasspeedway.com

To open in 2013 / originally opened as a 1.5-mile tri-oval in June 2001 / a new infield road course was built in conjunction
with a reconfiguration and repaving of the oval in 2012 / the work was finished in September / the course was first tried
when three Grand-Am teams conducted a special compatibility test that month / however there won't be any competitive
racing on the road course until 2013 / a Grand-Am race has been scheduled for August of that year

The Thermal Club – south-east of La Quinta, California

Location: 33°36'19.88"N / 116°9'18.25"W / www.thermal122.com

To open in 2013 / this will be a private members-only facility / designed by Alan Wilson / the full circuit is to be 4.5 miles long
but can be broken into shorter courses called the Desert Circuit, North Palm Circuit and South Palm Circuit / broke ground on
5 April 2012 / as of July the project was on schedule to complete two of the three courses by early 2013 / located adjacent
to Jacqueline Cochran Airport / aka Thermal Motorsports Track

Unknown

Bluegrass Motorsports Park – north-east of Sparta near Napoleon, Kentucky

Location: 38°45'48.52"N / 84°48'0.67"W / www.drivebluegrass.com

Designed by Derek Daly / located about six miles north-east of Kentucky Speedway / intended as a private members-only
facility / the first try-out laps took place in 2009 although the circuit was not entirely finished yet / the track never actually
opened due to financial and legal issues / as of October 2012 the legal issues have reportedly been settled but the
circuit's future remains unclear
 Canadian Road Courses Page 29

CANADIAN CIRCUITS

1950s

Westwood Racing Circuit – northern Coquitlam, British Columbia

Location: 49°18'39.84"N / 122°46'59.27"W

Opened July 1959 / Canada's first purpose-built road course / initiated and built by the Sports Car Club of British Columbia /
later renamed Westwood Motorsport Park / the last race was a 7-hour enduro in October 1990 / Greater Vancouver was
expanding rapidly by then / the land therefore became valuable for housing development and so the circuit's lease was not
renewed / the site is now a residential area / the street Deer's Leap Place is the approximate site of the old backstretch

1960s

Mosport Park – north of Bowmanville and south-west of Pontypool, Ontario / YT / YT

Location: 44°2'58.29"N / 78°40'35.57"W / www.mosport.com / www.canadiantiremotorsportpark.com

Opened June 1961 / note the Trans-Canada Rally had already held a hillclimb on the new course in May / initiated by the
British Empire Motor Club / Mosport is a contraction of Motor and Sport / venue of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix every
year from 1967-1977 except for 1968 and 1970 / also hosted the only Canadian motorcycle Grand Prix to date that counted
towards the world championship in 1967 / later known as Mosport International Raceway / renamed Canadian Tire
Motorsport Park in 2012 / this is the oldest remaining road course in Canada / still active

Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant-St-Jovite – north of St. Jovite in Mont-Tremblant, Québec / YT / YT

Location: 46°11'34.70"N / 74°36'32.10"W / www.lecircuit.com

Opened August 1964 / initiated by the Montreal Motor Racing Club and local businessman Leo Samson / built in just three
months and three days / the extended circuit opened in September 1965 / venue of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in
1968 and 1970 / aka Le Circuit / aka Mont Tremblant / the track later deteriorated over the years but in 2000 was taken
over by new owners who have made many improvements since / now known as Circuit Mont-Tremblant / still active

Western Speedway – north-west of Victoria and north of Langford, British Columbia

Location: 48°28'25.17"N / 123°30'0.61"W

Opened in 1966 / located in All Fun Recreation Park / the facility began as an oval in 1954 / a 0.8-mile road course was added
in 1966 and used by the Victoria Motor Sports Club until circa 1982 / historian Allan Brown writes the circuit operated from
June 1966 through 1983 / however author Tom Johnston claims the last sanctioned race was in 1981 and the road course
closed in 1982 / in addition the inaugural meeting appears to have been held in April 1966 / part of the circuit was later
demolished to make way for a waterslide / this has since been torn down as well / the oval is still active

Speedway Park – Hudson in north-west Edmonton, Alberta

Location: 53°36'38.36"N / 113°32'44.13"W

Opened September 1968 / Speedway Park originally began in the mid-1950s as the successor of an earlier oval named
Breckinridge Speedway / a substantial expansion programme commenced in 1965 / a new dragstrip was completed first in
1966 / the road course was completed in the summer of 1968 and was to open with the Prairie Region racing championship
for sports cars in August / it is not known if this took place / the first documented event was a Can-Am race in September /
the facility became known as Speedway Park Motor Sports Centre shortly after that but was renamed Edmonton International
Speedway in mid-1969 / the track was forced to close in 1982 due to noise complaints / the site is now a residential area

Circuit Deux-Montagnes – west of St. Eustache, Québec

Location: 45°34'19.42"N / 73°57'52.27"W / www.autodrome.ca

Opened circa 1969-1970 / exact info is missing / the facility began as a ¼-mile dragstrip named Montreal International
Speedway in June 1964 / it was renamed Sportsman Speedway when an oval was added circa 1966 / built by Anatole
Lavoie / the name Circuit Deux-Montagnes was adopted in 1969 / the road course was built around this time as well / it
was definitely operational for motorcycle racing by June 1970 / the first automobile event reportedly took place in 1971 /
at one point in the 2000s the facility was known as Autodrome Old Milwaukee / it is now called Autodrome St-Eustache /
still active
 Canadian Road Courses Page 30

1970s

Circuit Québec-Ste-Croix – west of Sainte-Croix, Québec

Location: 46°37'56.41"N / 71°47'24.65"W / www.riverside-speedway.ca

Opened circa 1970-1971 / the first meet on the road course seems to have been a 6-hour endurance race in October 1970 /
however some sources claim the first race was in July 1971 / the circuit was a spectacular rollercoaster that had several steep
serpentine-like curves / the facility furthermore included a ⅝-mile paved oval and a dragstrip / the main initiator was Jacques
Bourassa / aka Circuit Ste-Croix / the track ran into trouble early on and may have closed in 1973 / most sources however
claim the road course wasn't abandoned until 1978 / a shortened version of the old road course opened in the year 2000
and has been active since / a section of the original course is now used as an access road / the facility is also commonly
known as Riverside Speedway / still active

Sanair – north of Saint-Pie, Québec

Location: 45°31'48.58"N / 72°52'46.46"W / www.sanairracing.com

Opened May 1972 / the facility began as Sanair International Drag Strip in June 1970 / a ⅓-mile stock car oval was soon
added / the road course then opened with a regional Formula Ford race in mid-May 1972 / the facility is best known for
the 0.826-mile or 1.33 km triangular oval built in 1983 / this was used for CART Indycar races from 1984-1986 and is
commonly known as Sanair Super Speedway / the facility is also referred to as Sanair International / aka Sanair
International Raceway / aka Sanair Motorsports Complex / still active

Gimli Motorsports Park – west of Gimli, Manitoba / YT

Location: 50°37'47.02"N / 97°3'18.00"W / www.gimlimotorsportspark.com

Opened August 1973 / the Winnipeg Sports Car Club organised a meeting on the old Gimli military airfield in August 1972 /
the club decided to build a permanent circuit the following year / the new road course, which used one of the runways as
the main straight but was otherwise newly-built, was completed in less than a month / it opened in August 1973 with the
Player's Challenge Series / the track is somewhat famous for being the site of an emergency aeroplane landing in July
1983 / still active

Atlantic Motorsport Park – north-west of Shubenacadie near North Salem, Nova Scotia
Location: 45°8'43.97"N / 63°26'55.45"W / www.atlanticmotorsportpark.com

Opened August 1974 / designed by Robert Guthrie / hosted four Formula Atlantic races in the 1970s / now hosts the
Canadian Superbike Championship / still active

Autodrome St-Félicien – north-west of St-Félicien, Québec

Location: 48°40'28.84"N / 72°31'15.93"W / www.autodromestfelicien.ca

Opened in 1975 / built by Marcel Boulanger / the facility originally included a ⅓-mile paved oval, a dragstrip and a short road
course / the latter is best known for the one-off Formula Atlantic race won by Gilles Villeneuve in August 1977 / the oval was
later extended to ½-mile / still active

Shannonville Motorsports Park – north-east of Shannonville, Ontario

Location: 44°13'38.51"N / 77°9'46.86"W / www.shannonville.com

Opened October 1976 / the facility was originally known as Nelson International Raceway after designer and co-founder John
Nelson / aka Nelson Motorsport Park / the track was sold and renamed Shannonville Motorsports Park circa 1978-1979 but
the original road course is still known as the Nelson Circuit / a second course named Fabi Circuit was added before the
1987 season / still active

Circuit Île Notre-Dame – east of downtown Montréal, Québec / YT

Location: 45°30'8.77"N / 73°31'29.88"W / www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca

Opened September 1978 / designed by Roger Peart / located on an artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River built for the
1967 World Fair or Expo 67 / the circuit was first announced in May 1978 / it opened with a Formula Atlantic meeting in late
September / this was a dry-run for the following month's Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix / the track has been home of the
Grand Prix ever since / the facility was renamed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in June 1982 after the Canadian driver's death a
month earlier / in the 1980s the circuit hosted superbike races / there was also an exhibition superbike race in 2004 / this
was a support event of that year's Champ Car race / while purpose-built this is actually a temporary course / still active
 Canadian Road Courses Page 31

1980s

Race City Speedway – south-east of Calgary near Shepard, Alberta

Location: 50°56'29.61"N / 113°55'52.37"W / www.racecity.com

Opened in 1987 / initiated by Ben Docktor / construction of the multi-purpose facility began in June 1985 / the ½-mile oval
was first to open in September 1985 / the dragstrip followed in June 1986 / finally the road course opened in 1987 but the
exact month is not known / the first major event was a round of the Player's GM Motorsport West Series / now named
Race City Motorsports Park / still active

1990s

Mission Raceway Park – directly south of Mission, British Columbia

Location: 49°7'32.65"N / 122°19'31.47"W / www.sccbc.net

Opened in 1994 / the facility began as a dragstrip in March 1992 / the road course was added either later in 1992 or in 1993
but initially used for driver training classes only / the first race was held in the spring of 1994 when the circuit was fully
completed / it is located on the banks of the Fraser River just south of town / aka River's Edge at Mission Raceway
Park / aka River's Edge Road Course / still active

Saratoga Speedway – just south-west of Saratoga Beach on Vancouver Island, British Columbia / YT
Location: 49°51'13.06"N / 125°8'15.51"W / www.saratogaspeedway.bc.ca

Opened circa 1999-2000 / exact date unknown / the facility began as a ⅜-mile paved oval named Oyster River Speedway
in the mid-1960s / a short dragstrip was built circa 1997 / an organisation called Speedway Road Racers Club subsequently
began organising motorcycle races on a tiny make-shift road course circa 1999-2000 / aka The Togaring / this used the oval
and an extra loop created by the dragstrip runoff / lap times were around 22-23 seconds / these SRRC meetings were staged
through 2009 but not in 2010 / the oval is still active

2000s

Cayuga Dragway Park – south of Cayuga near Kohler, Ontario

Location: 42°54'11.70"N / 79°51'19.91"W / www.torontomotorsportspark.com

Opened July 2000 / the facility is located at an old military airfield named Kohler Airstrip / it has operated as a dragstrip
under various names since 1955 / a dedicated road course was added in the year 2000 / at that time the facility was
known as Cayuga Dragway Park but it was renamed Toronto Motorsports Park the following year / still active

Stratotech Park International Raceway – just north-west of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

Location: 53°44'4.02"N / 113°14'4.81"W / www.stratotech.ca

Opened May 2002 / the official grand opening was in June / initiated and built by Dan Beith / aka Stratotech Park / the
circuit is mainly used for motorcycle- and kart racing / still active

Dunnville Autodrome – south-east of Dunnville near Port Maitland, Ontario

Location: 42°52'28.72"N / 79°35'36.87"W

Opened July 2004 / located at Dunnville Airport which is about fourteen miles from Toronto Motorsports Park as the crow
flies / aka Stewart Circuit / the facility was primarily used for testing and track days / it is not known if there were actual
races as well / Dunnville Autodrome closed in August 2009 as an agreement could not be reached between the track and
Haldimand County on the issues of zoning regulations and noise abatement measures

Calabogie Motorsports Park – east of Calabogie, Ontario / YT

Location: 45°18'12.11"N / 76°40'17.83"W / www.calabogiemotorsports.com

Opened September 2006 / designed by Alan Wilson / this is the longest road course in Canada / hosts the Canadian
Superbike Championship / still active

Circuit ICAR – north-east of Mirabel near Montréal, Québec

Location: 45°40'54.58"N / 74°1'19.63"W / www.circuiticar.com

Opened May 2008 / located at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport / ICAR stands for International Center of Advanced
Racing / the highly modern facility includes a road course which can be used in various configurations as well as a dragstrip,
a Jacques Villeneuve-designed kart track, a driftpark and more / hosts the Canadian Superbike Championship / F1 World
Champion Sebastian Vettel drove at this circuit during a promotional event ahead of the 2011 Canadian GP / still active
Copyright © Rob Semmeling
www.wegcircuits.nl